Gospel Doctrine, Lesson 46: “By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled”,

Ether 7-15

#3: Hugh Nibley: “The correct use and sequence of mimation and nunation in the Book of Mormon speaks strongly for the authenticity of the record, for the principle is a relatively recent discovery in philology [the study of language in historical sources]. (“A Permanent Heri-

tage”, at maxwellinstitute.byu.edu)

To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.com

#2: Hugh Nibley: “The insane wars of the Jaredite chiefs ended in the complete annihila-tion of both sides, with the kings the last to go. The same thing had almost happened ear-lier in the days of Akish, when a civil war between him and his sons reduced the population to thirty… This all seems improbable to us, but two circumstances peculiar to Asiatic war-fare explain why the phenomenon is by no means without parallel: (1) Since every war is strictly a personal contest between kings, the battle must continue until one of the kings falls or is taken. (2) And yet things are so arranged that the king must be the very last to fall, the whole army existing for the sole purpose of defending his person. “This is clearly seen in the game of chess, in which all pieces are expendable except the king, who can never be taken. ‘The shah in chess,’ writes M.E. Moghadam, ‘is not killed and does not die. The game is terminated when the shah is pressed into a position from which he cannot escape. This is in line with all good traditions of chess playing, and behind it the tradition of capturing the king in war rather than slaying him whenever that could be accomplished.’ [Shah mat means ‘the chief is dead’] You will recall the many instances in the book of Ether in which kings were kept in prison for many years but not killed. In the code of medieval chivalry, taken over from central Asia, the person of the king is sacred, and all others must perish in his defense... but as long as the war went on, the king could not die, for whenever he did die, the war was over, no matter how strong his surviving forces...So let no one think the final chapter of Ether is at all fanciful or overdrawn. Wars of extermination are an institution in the history of Asia” (Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites,

235-36)

#1: Hugh Nibley: “Moving back to the earliest records of all, we find a large class of leg-ends all over the ancient world telling how a victorious god in the beginning bound and im-prisoned his rebellious relatives—not killing them, since they partook of his own divine na-ture…” (Lehi in the Desert, 201-3)

#4: President Spencer W. Kimball: “In faith we plant the seed, and soon we see

the miracle of the blossoming. Men have often misun-derstood and have reversed the process. They would have the harvest before the planting, the reward before

the service, the miracle before the faith. Even the most de-manding labor unions would hardly ask the wages before the labor. But many of us would have the vigor without the obser-

vance of the health laws, prosperity through the opened windows of heaven without the payment of our tithes. We would have the close communion with our Father without fasting and praying; we would have rain in due season and peace in the land without observing the Sabbath and keeping the other commandments of the Lord. We would pluck the rose before planting the roots; we would harvest the grain before its planting and cultivat-ing.” (CR, Oct. 1952)

#5: President Gordon B. Hinckley: “Let me give you a story of a woman in São Paulo, Brazil. She worked while going to school to provide for her family. I use her own words in telling this story. She says: “The university in which I studied had a regulation that prohibited the stu-dents that were in debt from taking tests. For this reason, when I received my sal-

ary I would first separate the money for tithing and offerings, and the remainder was allot-ted for the payment of the school and other expenses. “I remember a time when I...faced serious financial difficulties. It was a Thursday when I received my salary. When I figured the monthly budget, I noticed that there would-n’t be enough to pay [both] my tithing and my university. I would have to choose between them. The bimonthly tests would start the following week, and if I didn’t take them I could lose the school year. I felt great agony—-My heart ached. I had a painful decision before me, and I didn’t know what to decide. I pondered between the two choices: to pay tithing or to risk the possibility of not obtaining the necessary credits to be approved in school “This feeling consumed my soul and remained with me up to Saturday. It was then that I remembered that when I was baptized I had agreed to live the law of tithing. I had taken upon myself an obligation, not with the missionaries, but with my Heavenly Father. At that moment, the anguish started to disappear, giving place to a pleasant sensation of tran-quility and determination… “That night when I prayed, I asked the Lord to forgive me for my indecision. On Sun-day, before the beginning of sacrament meeting, I contacted the bishop, and with great pleasure I paid my tithing and offerings. That was a special day. I felt happy and peaceful within myself and with Heavenly Father. “The next day I was in my office. I tried to find a way to be able to take the tests that would begin on Wednesday. The more I thought, the further I felt from a solution… “The working period was ending when my employer approached and gave the last or-ders of the day. When he had done so, with his briefcase in his hand he bid farewell… sud-denly he halted, and looking at me he asked, ‘How is your college?’ I was surprised, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The only thing I could answer with a trembling voice was, ‘Everything is all right!’ He looked thoughtfully at me and bid farewell again… “Suddenly the secretary entered the room, saying that I was a very fortunate person! When I asked her why, she simply answered: ‘The employer has just said that from today on the company is going to pay fully for your college and your books. Before you leave, stop at my desk and inform me of the costs so that tomorrow I can give you the check.’ “After she left, crying and feeling very humble, I knelt exactly where I was and

thanked the Lord for His generosity. I… said to Heavenly Father that He didn’t have to bless me so much. I only needed the cost of one month’s installment, and the tithing I had paid on Sunday was very small compared to the amount I was receiving! During that prayer the words recorded in Malachi came to my mind: ‘Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it’ (Malachi 3:10). Up to that moment I had never felt the magnitude of the promise contained in that scripture and that this commandment was truly a witness of the love that God, our Heavenly Father, gives to His children here on earth’ (CR,

April 2002)

#6: Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “Preparatory faith is formed by experiences in the past—by the known, which provides a basis for belief. But redemptive faith must often be exercised toward experiences in the future—the unknown, which provides an opportunity for the miraculous. Exacting faith, mountain-moving faith, faith like that of the brother of Jared, precedes the miracle and the knowledge. He had to

believe before God spoke. He had to act before the ability to complete that action was ap-parent. He had to commit to the complete experience in advance of even the first segment of its realization. Faith is to agree unconditionally— and in advance— to whatever condi-tions God may require in both the near and distant future.” (Christ and the New Covenant, 18-19)

#7: President Boyd K. Packer: Some years ago I learned a lesson that I shall never forget. I had been called as an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve, and we were to move to Salt Lake City and find an adequate and permanent home. President Henry D. Moyle assigned someone to help us.

A home was located that was ideally suited to our needs. Elder Harold B. Lee came and looked it over very carefully and then counseled, “By all means, you are to proceed.”

But there was no way we could proceed. I had just completed the course work on a doc-tor's degree and was writing the dissertation. With the support of my wife and our eight children, all of the resources we could gather over the years had been spent on education.

By borrowing on our insurance, gathering every resource, we could barely get into the house, without sufficient left to even make the first monthly payment.

Brother Lee insisted, “Go ahead. I know it is right.” I was in deep turmoil because I had been counseled to do something I had never done

before-to sign a contract without having the resources to meet the payments. …I was still not at peace, and then came the lesson. Elder Lee said, “Do you know what

is wrong with you-you always want to see the end from the beginning.” I replied quietly that I wanted to see at least a few steps ahead. He answered by quot-

ing from the sixth verse of the twelfth chapter of Ether: “Wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”

And then he added, “My boy, you must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and per-haps a few steps into the darkness, and you will find that the light will appear and move

ahead of you.” And so it has-but only as we walked to the edge of the light. …I am confident that as we move to the edge of the light, like the cloud that led the Is-

raelites, or like the star that led the wise men, the light will move ahead of us and we can do this work.” (The Holy Temple, pp. 184-86)

#8: Elder Gene R. Cook: “The Lord didn’t give us weaknesses impatience, lazi-ness, anger, lust, and so forth). But he did give us weakness. That weakness has more to do with the state of mortality than with individual character flaws. When you were a spirit you didn’t have your mortal weakness. But the Lord gave us bod-ies in a fallen state—which is a state of weakness—because that is the only way

we could become as he is. (Searching the Scriptures: Bringing Power to Your Personal and Family Study, 59-60)

#9: The Oxford English Dictionary gives several definitions of “weakness”. The superscript years (e.g., 1646 ) show about when the meaning became current:

weakness 1. The quality or condition of being weak…; deficiency of strength, power, or force. 2. … b. An infirmity of character, a failing. 1646+ ...3. An unrea-sonable or self-indulgent liking or inclination for (a person or thing). 1712

The last two meanings were not current before 1611 when the Bible was translated. The Book of Mormon meaning also appears to be the first meaning, not our modern meanings.

Other thoughts too great not to include:

Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “When we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God’s timing, we really are suggesting that we know what is best. Strange, isn’t it— we who wear wrist-watches seek to counsel Him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars. “Because God wants us to come home after having become more like Him and His Son, part of this developmental process, of necessity, consists of showing unto us our weaknesses. Hence, if we have ultimate hope we will be submissive because, with His help, those weakness can even become strengths.” (CR, Oct. 1998)

Elder Richard G. Scott: “Humility is the precious, fertile soil of righteous character. It ger-minates the seeds of personal growth. When cultivated through the exercise of faith, pruned by repentance, and fortified by obedience and good works, such seeds produce the cherished fruit of spirituality. (See Alma 26:22.) Divine inspiration and power then result. Inspira-tion is to know the will of the Lord. Power is the capability to accomplish that inspired will. (See D&C 43:15-16.) Such power comes from God after we have done ‘all we can do’ (2 Ne. 25:23).

(CR, Nov. 1981)

President Thomas S. Monson: “Should there be anyone who feels he is too weak to do better because of that greatest of fears, the fear of failure, there is no more comforting as-surance [than Ether 12:27]” (CR, Apr. 2006, priesthood session) President Ezra Taft Benson: “I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every seg-

Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “When we are unduly impatient with an omniscient God’s timing, we really are suggesting that we know what is best. Strange, isn’t it— we who wear wristwatches seek to counsel Him who oversees cosmic clocks and calendars. “Because God wants us to come home after having become more like Him and His Son, part of this developmental process, of necessity, consists of showing unto us our weaknesses. Hence, if we have ultimate hope we will be submissive because, with His help, those weakness can even become strengths.” (CR, Oct. 1998) President Ezra Taft Benson: “’Don't worry,’ says the devil, ‘the Lord will protect you, and be-sides the world is so corrupt and heading toward destruction at such a pace that you can't stop it, so why try.’ Well, to begin with, the Lord will not protect us unless we do our part. This devil-ish tactic of persuading people not to get concerned because the Lord will protect them no mat-ter what they do is exposed by the Book of Mormon. Referring to the devil, it says, ‘And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, and they will say: All is well in Zion, yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell’ (2 Ne. 28:21). “I like that word ‘carefully.’ In other words, don't shake them, you might awake them. But the Book of Mormon warns us that when we should see these murderous conspiracies in our midst that we should awake to our awful situation. Now why should we awake if the Lord is go-ing to take care of us anyway? Now let us suppose that it is too late to save freedom. It is still accounted unto us for righteousness' sake to stand up and fight. Some Book of Mormon proph-ets knew of the final desolate end of their nations, but they still fought on, and they saved some souls including their own by so doing. For, after all, the purpose of life is to prove ourselves, and the final victory will be for freedom. (CR, Apr. 1965) Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “AT Armageddon that great political power which ‘seeketh to over-throw the freedom of all lands, nations, and countires,’ and which ‘bringeth to pass the destruc-tion of all people,’ and which is itself ‘built up by the devil’ (Ether 8:25) — that very political kingdom, in all its parts, shall be burned with fire. It is the great and abominable church.” (The Millenial Messiah, 494) Mario Facione (The following is from an interview in the Deseret Morning News:)

His life of crime began young. His father began teaching him the trade when he was 8. He gave him strict rules as he matured: No women (because they talk), no drinking (because you talk), no idleness (idle hands . . . ), no swearing (draws attention to you).

"My father taught me the gospel, backwards," says Mario. By 9, Facione was a pro. He swept floors in a bar so he could eavesdrop on customers, then

he'd follow them home to see where they lived, learn if they had kids, then break into their homes in the light of day.

As an adult, he owned a trucking company and kept his eyes open for scams, which were backed by the Mafia. His biggest scheme: He stole more than a dozen backhoes weighing close to 200,000 pounds and sold them in neighboring states, only to buy them back later and resell them repeatedly.

By the age of 40, he had about $400,000 in cash and $3 million in assets. He tried some le-git deals. As fate would have it, he invested $50,000 in a product made in Utah. It proved to be a scam. He flew to Salt Lake to get his money back. While in town, he says, he was strangely moved by the sight of the statue of Moroni at Temple Square. That night he had a vivid dream ("I came out of bed like I was shot out of a slingshot"). Two weeks later, back in Detroit, two LDS missionaries pulled into his driveway.

He told the Mafia about his conversion and, by the way, he would no longer work for them, even if it meant death. They allowed him to continue breathing, but he says they blackballed him and broke him. "I was a cash cow for them," he says.

His wife left him. He wound up living out of a Ford Escort and showering at a gas station. He had $15 in his pocket, an eighth-grade education and could barely read. And then one Sunday a man in church offered him a job.

Today, Facione, 68, has a wife, three children and seven grandchildren, and he works once a week at the LDS temple in Michigan. He endures as one of the world's unlikeliest Mormons. Facione has served on the High Council of the Bloomfield Hills Michigan Stake.

Facione currently lives in Milford, Michigan and works with airport security issues. Facione has also been involved in running a demolition company. (http://www.mormonwiki.com/Mario_Facione)

Hugh Nibley: “It was after cheating his brother of the throne that Attila ‘sought to subdue the foremost nations of the world, and after his death two of his descendants went out into the wil-derness where they gathered about them armies of outcasts, each hoping to win back the world empire for himself.’ …”Genghis Kahn lived for years as an outcast and a bandit as he gathered around him forces to conquer all his rivals. Those forces were actually drawn off from the ar-mies of the rivals themselves… “You know the story of Akish. This is the way it goes. He bound his followers around the nucleus of his family by lavish gifts, for “the people of Akish were desirous for gain, even as Ak-ish was desirous for power; wherefore the sons of Akish did offer them money by which means he drew away the more part of the people after them” (Ether 9:11). “It was the sons of Genghis Khan who did most of his campaigning for him, the same way as Akish, and from the very beginning the secret of his power was the huge heaps of precious things that always stood near his throne and from which, after a memorial custom of the steppes, he rewarded all who joined him. In the sixth century Menander, a Roman ambassador to the court of the Grand Khan (that was 600 years before Genghis Khan), beheld 500 wagons full of gold, silver, and silken garments that accompanied the monarch on his wanderings—for the ancient law of the Khans, he said, was that none enters the presence of the ruler empty handed nor departs unrewarded...And the pharaohs applied the same thing… “And Akish did administer unto them the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought power, which had been handed down even from Cain.” Quoting Fritz Hommel: ‘The very oldest texts in the language of the world were incantations, having the stereotyped conclusion, “let it be sworn by the name of heaven; let it be sworn by the name of earth.” The flood of documents that came forth in recent years teaches us the ways that men in the dawn of history bound people by oaths.”

Monte F. Shelley: “The wicked get support by promising the spoils of government: (a) power or government position (Al 46:5), and (b) money taken legally or illegally from others (e.g., “the rich”). For over 100 years, it was unconstitutional for the federal government to take “from the rich” and “give to the poor” or subsidize businesses. Now it is common practice among politi-cians who promise they will keep giving or give more to programs or organizations from money that has been or will be taken “legally” through taxation or inflation. Voters are enticed to vote for their “fair share” of the spoils instead of voting for constitutional princi-ples.” (www.sviewp.com/GD-BM/BoM%2046-%20Notes.pdf) President J. Reuben Clark (1940): “We are not given the step-by step backsliding of this Jaredite civilization till it reached the social and governmental chaos the record sets out, but those steps seem wholly clear from the results. Put into modern terms, we can understand them. First there was a forsaking of the righteous life, and the working of wickedness; then must have come the extortion and oppression of the poor by the rich; then retaliation and repri-sal by the poor against the rich; then would come a cry to share the wealth which should be-long to all; then the easy belief that society owed every man a living whether he worked or not; then the keeping of a great body of idlers; then when community revenues failed to do this, as they always have failed and always will fail, a self-helping by one to the goods of his neighbor; and finally when the neighbor resisted, as resist he must, or starve with his family, then death to the neighbor and all that belonged to him. This was the decreed ‘fullness of iniquity’ (Ether 2:10). (Stand Fast by Our Constitution, 177-79) Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “There for us to ponder also is a clear case in which personal pride and rage kept two principals from acting for the welfare of their people. Shiz insisted on ‘getting his man,’ even if it meant the destruction of his own people; and Coriantumr offered his king-dom but not his life for his people. Each said, in effect, that the ultimate object of his selfish-ness was nonnegotiable! Neither was willing to play the role of the intervenor and say of the circumstances, ‘This had gone too far—enough is enough.’ How often on a lesser scale in hu-man affairs do tinier tragedies occur for want of this selfless intervention? How often do we withhold the one thing that is needed to make a difference? (Ensign, Aug. 1978, “Three Jared-ites: Contrasting Contemporaries”) President Ezra Taft Benson: “Will Durant...writes and epilogue…’Why Rome Fell.’ ...The au-thor lists the major cause why this great civilization fell apart. ...The first group of causes he termed biological, and no doubt most fundamental. They had to do with the limitation of fami-lies, the deferment and avoidance of marriage, the refusal of men and women to shoulder the great responsibilities, God-ordained, of honorable parenthood. He mentioned that sexual ex-cesses were indulged in commonly, both in and outside the marriage covenant. The operation of contraception and abortion was common. This, together with other things, resulted in re-duced fertility. Sex ran riot, and moral decay resulted. He mentioned as another cause of Rome’s decay, the waste of natural resources in mining, deforestation, erosion, the neglect of irrigation canals but most important of all, the negligence of harassed and discouraged men, the failure to teach high moral principles so necessary for the building of real character. Then he lists with great emphasis the rising costs of government because of armies, doles, public

works, expanding bureaucracy, a parasitic court, depreciation of currency, absorption of invest-ment capital by confiscatory taxation. Is there anything suggestive in this summary? ...May we have the courage...to stand...for those principles and ideals which guided the founding fathers in the establishment of this great land. (CR, Apr.1952) First Presidency (1941): “The Church as a Church does not believe in war and yet since its organization whenever war has come we have done our part...we do thoroughly believe in building up our home defenses to the maximum extent necessary, but we do not believe that aggression should be carried on in the name and under the false cloak of defense. We therefore look with sorrowing eyes at the present use to which a great part of the funds being raised by taxes and by borrowing is being put...We believe that our real threat comes from within and not from without, and it comes from the underlying spirit common to Nazism, Fascism, and Com-munism, namely, the spirit which would rob the people of the liberties which we possess under the Constitution, and would set up such a reign of terror as exists now in many parts of Europe. (“A Letter to the Treasury from the LDS Fist Presidency in 1941”) Spencer W. Kimball: “Remember that Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and others could not see clearly the end from the beginning. They also walked by faith and without sight.

“Remember again that no gates were open; Laban was not drunk; and no earthly hope was justified at the moment Nephi exercised his faith and set out finally to get the plates.

“…Remember that there were no clouds in the sky, no evidence of rain, and no precedent for the deluge when Noah builded the ark according to commandment. There was no ram in the thicket when Isaac and his father left for Moriah for the sacrifice. Remember there were no towns and cities, no farms and gardens, no homes and storehouses, no blossoming desert in Utah when the persecuted pioneers crossed the plains.

“And remember that there were no heavenly beings in Palmyra, on the Susquehanna; or on Cumorah when the soul-hungry Joseph slipped quietly into the grove, knelt in prayer on the river bank, and climbed the slopes of the sacred hill.” (Faith Precedes the Miracle, pp. 11-12)

Neal A. Maxwell: “And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night. (Ether 13:13-14.)

“Finally, in Ether's time too, the anarchy became absolute: ‘Now there began to be a war upon all the face of the land, every man with his band fighting for that which he desired.’ (Ether 13:25.) Destruction produced its own intoxication: ‘And when the night came they were drunken with anger, even as a man who is drunken with wine; and they slept again upon their swords.’ (Ether 15:22.)

“Preceding the second coming, will there be such similar and widespread violence, disorder, and anarchy again? Yet even in the midst of such destruction, the Lord's purposes unfold, not only generally but individually, as He keeps His individualized promises to His servants.” (Plain and Precious Things, 90)

LESSON 46 OUTLINE Last week we tried to cover the first half of Ether. Remember—we talked about the Tower of Babel, the winds that blew it down and also pushed the Jaredite barges across the ocean. We talked about the barges being like Noah’s ark, even in the way they were lighted, according to many ancient sources. But the most amazing thing we talked about was the great faith it took for the people of Jared to seal themselves in wooden boxes, to be tossed on violent waters for 344 days. And why? Because they believed that in the end they would obtain the promised land. They were completely dependent and vulnerable. But in this way they came to know God. For as the moun-tainous waves pushed them into the depths, their prayers were always answered. God never forsook them. They were always delivered. Our journey, yours and mine, may not include mountainous waves, but we, like the Jaredites, must be willing to completely trust the Lord in order to obtain the promised land. We must experience depths and deliverances in the process of coming to know our Father in Heaven. In the 2nd half of Ether we’re taught this principle in even greater depth. But first I’d like to touch on a few more historical insights, and here’s my reasoning: Before preparing these two lessons I would read Ether completely ignorant of the sig-nificance of much of it. I’m still pretty ignorant, but at least now I’m more aware of my ignorance! And with greater knowledge comes greater excitement! Greater appre-ciation. And certainly greater enjoyment of scripture study. So let’s do some brainstorming: (write on board:) NEPHITES LAMANITES ~What do they have in common? (from Old World, prophets, written history….) ~Differences? Government: Kings — Judges Kings Many served in captivity. 7 mentioned were overthrown and imprisoned. Some gained their kingdom back. One line spent 6 generations in captivity!! Why wouldn’t they just kill them? Quotation #1 And maybe it was just professional cour- tesy. Power changed hands so often, maybe they hoped for mercy one day.

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Warfare: fight to surrender annihilation This brings us to chess. Who is the last to be taken in chess? And even if every other piece remains on the board, what hap- pens if the king is trapped? (game over) Quotation #2 Hunting: Agricultural Preserves The hunt in Asia consisted of reserving a large area just for hunting. Then, a huge group of men would gather the animals into a trap, and the king would then kill the animals he desired. What group of Nephites hunted? (Gadianton, which brings us to:) Language: Egyptian/Hebrew Adamic (?) We can only superficially cover Jaredite vs. Nephite names, but according to Hugh Nibley, the most characteristic feature of Jaredite names is that they end in –m. This is called mimation, and is found among the most ancient Near Eastern languages. (see

“A Permanent Heritage”, at maxwellinstitute.byu.edu) The –m ending was later followed by nunation, or ending in -n.

Quotation #3 Let’s look at some names that we know are Jaredite: curelom cummom Shelem Morianton Shiblon If you had to guess, would you add: Gadianton? Corianton? The weights and measures in Alma 11 are also Jaredite: Senum Ezrom Seon Shum Shiblon Shiblum Antion You get the idea… Incidentally, the first land settled by the Jaredites was Moron. Hugh Nibley says, “...anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the Near East will in-

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stantly recognize Moroni as meaning ‘belonging to Moron’ or ‘of Morn,’ the old –i ending being the most familiar and unchanging suffix from the oldest Egyptian and Babylonian to modern Arabic.” (Ibid.) Enough of history and language. I’m hoping this small taste will have wetted your ap-petite and you’ll go on the internet and seek more! I’d like to move on to what’s most important here, which is the message of Ether. ~Who was Ether’s father? (Coriantor, see Ether 11:23) ~And who was Coriantor’s father? (see 11:18. Moron, a king who was over thrown and who dwelt in captivity for the rest of his life. Corihor spent ALL of his days in captivity, so Ether was born in captivity!) It says in Ether 12:1 that Ether lived “in the days of Coriantumr,…[who] was king over all the land. ~Which king was Coriantumr? (The last of the Jaredite kings) Let’s read the prophet Ether’s message:

Ether 12:3-4 ~Did they believe him? Why not? (read Ether 12:5– because they couldn’t see. They had no faith.)

Quotation #4 So there is a price to be paid in order for Heavenly Father to be able to bless us. When we pay the price (obey the commandment) then our faith increases as we re-ceive the promised blessings. President Hinckley told a powerful story that illustrates this perfectly:

Quotation #5 Elder Holland talks about two kinds of faith: preparatory and redemptive:

Quotation #6 An experience of Elder Packer illustrates just what redemptive faith requires of us:

Quotation #7 Here in Ether chapter 12, both faith and weakness are discussed. Believe it or not, they go hand in hand!

Ether 12:27 Notice it says “weakness” and not “weaknesses”.

Quotation #8 As we’ve discussed before, words change meaning over time, and it is no different with the word weakness. Let’s look at #9:

Quotation 9 Let’s dissect this verse:

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On board: ~Why are men given weakness? weakness ~What is true humility? (understanding our relation- ship to God, our complete dependence on Him) humble & have faith ~I’m sure Lucifer and his followers understand this relationship better than we do! What else is receive grace = power necessary? (faith) ~If we’re humble and pray in faith, what will be Heavenly Father’s response? (grace) ~And what is grace? (power to do God’s will and eventually become as He is) There are two kinds of weakness: that which is inherent in being mortal, fallen man, and our individual frailties. ~Which kind of weakness is he talking about here? (natural man) ~The last phrase is “then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” When does “then” refer to? (read verse 34, D&C 50:16) Ether contains two philosophies and their outcomes: 1) relying on secret alliances with men, or secret combinations, and 2) relying on sacred alliances with God. There are no other choices. We can choose to act out of fear, or faith. I pray that in our day-to-day choices, like the mother in Brazil, we will choose faith.

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